So, we're now officially in the second half of the year. Wow, that was quick, wasn't it? Time is passing by so quick and everyday I find so many new things to do. Over the past couple of months, my outlook towards life has completely changed and this has made me much clearer in the head. I already spoke about letting go of unnecessary thoughts and people in my last replay post but I will state the importance of it again. We all need to take some time out to de-clutter our life. This needs to happen periodically and this should be considered vital for our survival. Once you let go of that negativity, life becomes so simpler and you become more happier.

June kept me insanely busy as I was in the middle of a really tough release at work. It took up all my time with late evening calls and weekend work that needed to be put in. Since my work life is more often than not peaceful, and rushes like these are not very often, I do not complain about them. Honestly, I do enjoy these bits of uncertainty and when it all falls into place finally, the joy is priceless. Then, the joy doubles when you are appreciated for it. My work is something that I would never compromise on and when you are rewarded for your hard work, that feeling cannot be put into words. I completed a decade of my corporate life this month, but the thrill and the feeling is still the same as day one.

I've been wanting to write about this for quite sometime but I kept putting it off because it is a very sensitive topic and I did not want to offend anyone. Money has always been a debatable topic. I am someone who believes that money cannot buy happiness, but it can certainly make your life comfortable. But, is this the only thing in your life? Is money the only thing that can make you happy? Is having a big fat bank balance your only goal? These are the questions we need to ask ourselves.

I come from a lower middle class family where I was used to fighting for the basics let alone the luxuries. So, I always knew the importance of money. When I grew up and started working, I did not take it for granted. I am very smart when it comes to money and I invest it wisely. Yes, I do shop and indulge in luxuries once in a while, but that is not my sole agenda when it comes to money. I am a person with many passions and passions come alive only when you invest something in it. Be it time or money. Travel is something that is very important to us, so we are more than happy to invest in it to create memories and have a good time. As much as we are smart with money, we are not misers.

In February last year, I hit a very rough patch in my life. My mother fell sick, work was at its peak and everything around was getting too much to bear. I had my first burn-out then and it was a feeling that made me feel miserable about myself. One fine day, I sat down and decided to work on getting out of that melancholic phase. I started a self-project called 'Getting Better' and wrote down things that made me feel better day after day. I started each day writing down a quote in my diary that would inspire me for the entire day. Every time I encountered something tough, I reminded myself of that quote and that gave me the strength to get past it. Soon, I started putting up a quote on Instagram every morning, as part of my healing. This helped me get better. Of course this was not the only thing that helped, but this gave me the motivation to push myself and fight harder.

A month or two into the 'Getting Better' project, a couple of my Instagram friends reached out to me to let me know how much my quotes mean to them and how they have been helping them get better too. When you are going through a bad phase, even a small positive remark would make you feel better about yourself. This one made a world of a difference to me. I've always been a sucker for quotes. I personally believe that every bibliophile is. As much as I love reading, the best part of reading is finding quotes that connect with you and help make you a better person. While I was much younger, I used to write down these quotes in a book as and when I used to read them in a story. These days, while I do not do that, some quotes do linger in my mind even after I have finished reading the book. This quote a day was helping me heal much quicker and it turns out, it was beneficial to others as well.

What intrigued me the most about this book was its gist and the beautiful front cover. I bought this book years ago, on a whim, and it stayed on my shelf. It was only recently that I read a glowing review about this book and decided to read it. It is quite a fairly long book with minute font that makes the reading very exhausting, but I wanted to know what happens to the leads, so I persisted. When I was done with it, I did not know whether I liked the book or not. I had mixed feelings about it and after a few days I spent some time thinking about the book and its story. That is when I realized the true beauty of it.

I only recently read about the Bechdel Test. For those who are unaware of this;

The Bechdel test is a method for evaluating the portrayal of women in fiction. It asks whether a work features at least two women who talk to each other about something other than a man. The requirement that the two women must be named is sometimes added.

This test is apparently used as an indicator for the active presence of women in films and other fiction, and to call attention to gender inequality in fiction. We already saw how women are portrayed in Indian cinema last month. This week, before getting into the real life scenario I want to talk about three classics that miserably fail the Bechdel test. Before we get into that, let's ask ourselves one question. What do we women like to talk about the most? To other women, I mean.

After watching 'Veere Di Wedding' on the weekend, I decided to sit down and have a chat with the Veeres themselves as I had a lot of questions on my mind. When I called the producer, Rhea Kapoor, asking if I could have her four leading ladies for a chat, she was confused. I then corrected myself by asking for her two leading ladies and the two extras. Then, she got it. Soon, Sonam K Ahuja got in touch with me and put forth her demands before the interview. She wanted me to arrange four cameras and have two of it focusing on her and the other two on Kareena Kapoor Khan. She also asked me to get four comfortable couches as the women would be dressed in couture and there needs to be enough room for them to sit.

When I told her that I was only a small time interviewer with nothing but a notepad, she was not pleased. Nevertheless, since I had watched the movie and I was a woman, she agreed to go ahead with the interview. I met them on my terrace and was just thinking about ordering refreshments when a man came in with a huge cardboard box.

About The Blog

Every written word in this space is my thoughts alone. Do not try to relate it to your life and create a scene in my circles. Believe me, if I wanted to write about someone who has wronged me, I'd write a story and kill that person off in the first line. As grotesquely as possible.
Stop making assumptions. But hey, if the shoe fits, lace up the bitch and wear it!

My Reading Dose

I'd read a shorter version of this in school and loved it back then. Now after I read this, I still feel the same. The smartness of Portia and the way she handles the entire situation with wit is commendable.

This probably is one of those books where I've loved every word, every situation, every page and every character (except the mother). It is such a wonderful story that I can't stop thinking about it even though I have finished reading th...

How I wish I had read this book as a child. Coraline is a dreamer and an explorer in own words. I loved the tale that the author has created and this is a very good children's book. As an adult, I did not enjoy the imaginary world that C...

I only heard of this book when it won the award for the best fiction of 2017 on Goodreads. I had immediately added it to my TBR back then. After that I read many glowing reviews of this book from bloggers whose recommendations I immensel...

I loved this book. This talks about the true nature and color of humans without all the unicorn fluff! The author has given a fantastic realistic twist to the otherwise silly and far-fetched tales.
While 'The beans of avarice' is my fa...